Maharashtra is going to get a new expressway soon, as the state government on Tuesday approved an amount of Rs 20,787 crore for the ‘Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Expressway’ project. The expressway will pass through 12 districts of the state and connect eastern Maharashtra with south Konkan. With its construction, the travel time from Nagpur to Goa will be reduced from 18 hours to just 8 hours.
This 802 km long expressway will start from Pawanar in Wardha district and go up to Patradevi on the Maharashtra-Goa border in Sindhudurg district. This high-speed corridor will connect districts like Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Sindhudurg.
This decision was taken in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The Chief Minister suggested that wherever there is an objection regarding land acquisition, a solution should be found by communicating with the farmers.
The expressway will connect major religious places in the state. According to officials, the project aims to connect important pilgrimage sites like Mahur, Tuljapur, Kolhapur, and Pandharpur as well as holy and historical sites like Ambajogai, Aundha Nagnath, Parli Vaijnath, Karanja-Lad, Akkalkot, Audumba,r and Narsobachi Wadi.
The project will be implemented by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). About 7,500 hectares of land are required for land acquisition, for which HUDCO has sanctioned a loan of Rs 12,000 crore. Officials say the project aims to connect all the Shaktipeeths in the state and promote rural development through tourism and better connectivity.
